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Why our brains register nostalgia as a painful feeling

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I made this one up, I don’t even have an answer for it yet, so I’m going to write about what nostalgia is, and see where that gets me!

To me, nostalgia is as simple as reminiscing. I find a diary or a picture I haven’t seen in years, I watch a TikTok about what my childhood was like, I think of a food I haven’t had in years.

 

I don’t know, as I’m sitting here, I think I’m realised nostalgia is about fragmented memories. Yes, this ten second flashback feels great, but is that how you felt in that moment? Probably not. This was just another day. I remember being a child,

Laughing and playing on a swing, having the time of my life. I know I went home, forgot to turn the tv off, and was beaten. I think our brains likes to make slideshows of all our best memories, for little hits of dopamine every time they slip into our consciousness. Like a funniest moments YouTube compilation of a tv show that you’re living in.

 

Maybe that doesn’t make sense, but what does it actually mean? Slow. Down. Embrace the neutral days, months, years, of your life. Truly, you can’t be happy, if you’re never sad. You can’t experience joy, if you’ve never experienced the opposite. I’m not saying you shouldn’t try to experience nostalgia, I’m just saying you shouldn’t always dwell on the past, positive or negative. Live for now.

 

I think all these thought provoking essays are going to end at the same point honestly. Try to be happy about where you are. Try being who you want to be, but remember who you are right now, love your life right now. Think about the memories, positive and negative, that you’re creating right now, and create as many memories your future self can look back on. Stop thinking about who you were, or even who you will be. Start thinking of who you ARE.

 

I don’t think nostalgia would be so painful if we lived as much as we could, instead of being alive. To quote Andy Bernard, “I wish there was a way to know you’re in the good old days before you’ve actually left them”. Good quote, insane reference in this moment, I know.


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